Snails are mollusks that have coiled shells and secrete slime to move. They are found worldwide and come in a variety of sizes, with some over 80cm long. Snails are hermaphrodites that lay eggs after mating with another snail. Snail farming, or heliciculture, involves raising land snails either extensively or intensively, feeding them leaves, fruits, and vegetables after sunset. Snails are eaten as escargots in many European and Asian countries and used in agriculture, cosmetics, and as natural dyes.

1. Snails

2. Basic details
• Classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Mollusca
Class: Gastropoda
Order: Stylommatophora
Family: Helicidae
Genus: Helix
Chalky shell- spirally coiled ,head, visceral mass, and muscular foot ,
leaves a wet trace of slime to move
Found: Worldwide
Diet: Herbivore
Size (L): 0.5cm - 80cm
Weight: 0.01kg - 18 kg
Number of Species: 1,000
Average Lifespan: 1 - 20 years
Habitat: Well-vegetated areas

3. • Breeding
Hermaphrodites animal
have to mate with another snail in order to
fertilize their eggs
Average Litter Size - 200
Predators
Rats, Human, Birds, Caraboid beetle and larva, Lizards

4. Heliciculture
• Commonly known snail farming, is the
process of raising land snails
– Extensive system
– Semi-intensive system
– Intensive system
• Feeding
– Leaves
– Fruits
– Tubers
– Household waste
• Snails should be fed after sunset

5. Suitable tropical snail species for
farming
Helix pomatia - Apple snail Otala lactea - Milk snail
Achatina fulica -The city girl Cepaea nemoralis - grove snail
Cepaea hortensis - white-lipped snail

6. Human relevance
• In agriculture biological pest control agent, manure
• As food Land snails, freshwater snails and sea snails
• Cosmetic Skin creams-Helix agent
• Cultural depictions
• Textiles as natural dye

7. • Land snails, freshwater snails and sea snails are
eaten
• European countries (Spain,France,Italy…)
• Asian countries (Philippines, China, India,Nepal…)
• African countries (Morocco,Nigeria, Ghana, Malta)
• Belgium, United States, Cyprus
• Freshly gathered snails have just eaten
– Washing Boiling Dressing
Snails as a food (escargot)

8. • Rats, Human, Birds, Caraboid beetle and larva, Lizards
• Irregular growth of the shell, operculum
• Thin and fragile shell
• Deterioration of shell and operculum
Predators, parasites and diseases